Selected Scenes from the Life of Severus Snape
by druplusspike
Summary: The life of Severus Snape, from before Hogwarts until he becomes a death eater. With cameos by Sirius Black, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, Lily Evans, and assorted Hogwarts students and staff.


"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Leo Tolstoy, _Anna Karenina_

**Summer 1964**

"Mum, are we poor?" asked a little boy walking down the street, holding his mother's hand.

She looked down at him.

"Why do you ask?"

He didn't look up.

"Brandon Whitehead said that we're poor because my trainers come from Value-Plus and aren't a brand. His are red Converses."

The mother sighed. Though he was only five, her son's way of coming close to the truth was borderline supernatural.

"We're not poor, we're doing fine, Severus," she said.

Severus looked down at his scuffed and worn trainers. There was a tiny hole where his left big toe could poke out.

He knew his mother was different from other mothers, that she could do things that other mothers couldn't do with magic. Magic, like in a book. Maybe she could turn his shoes into red Converses like he secretly coveted. He would ask her later, though. His mother became cross if he asked too many questions at once.

**1 September 1965**

"I don't want to go, mum," Severus said, his face more pale than usual and his black eyes round.

"Don't be foolish," said Eileen. "You like to read and write, don't you? Don't you like arithmetic?"

She waited for him to nod.

"You'll get to read and write here, with other children who are smart like you."

"They'll just make fun of me, mum."

"I'll have none of that," she said briskly. "Aren't you a Prince? You're better than all those children, now act like it. Straighten up."

She assessed Severus with her arms crossed. The uniform was second-hand but still was expensive. She'd done her best to make it fit Severus better but she was never very good at clothing and appearance charms. The pants were a little too long and the sleeves of the jacket were a little too small so his pale, thin wrists jutted out. She smoothed his hair quickly.

"Go on," she said and pushed him lightly towards the school gate.

Severus turned and walked away without another word.

Eileen watched him go in the looming school building. Muggle school. She sighed. It was for the best, though. She could hardly teach him about the muggle world and he was part muggle.

At first public school had been good enough. But then the psychologists had come with their tests. Her son was gifted but troubled, said the school psychologist, glancing at her through gold-rimmed glasses.

"Normally, a child as gifted as your son would be considered to skip a year," he said. "Unfortunately, your son also displays a certain level of social awkwardness. He's exhibited difficulty forming relationships with other students. He tends to isolate himself. He's also become a target for bullies. It's my opinion that a clean break from here might be the best opportunity for Severus to have a normal social life."

He handed Eileen some pamphlets for several different private schools.

He'd been accepted to all of them but only one offered enough scholarships. There had been rows about the costs, but Eileen was insistent. Her son would not fester in public school with insolent brats. And hopefully, he wouldn't be in muggle school for very long anyway.

Eileen watched as children were dropped off by family drivers in BMW's. She turned and walked away, proudly. She was a Prince, she was better than the lot of them.

**April 1968**

The field was muddy and dirt was encrusted on his trainers. The red sweatpants and sweatshirt hung loosely on Severus. He watched as the group of boys before him ran as fast as they could. There were high-fives and shouts of praise all around, but none for Severus.

Severus hated to run and was slow. He wasn't very strong. He was a bit tall for his age and very skinny but he was also uncoordinated, prone to fumbling and dropping things. As a result he was always chosen last whenever it came to group sports.

Today wasn't a sports day, it was physical fitness testing. He'd have to run around the track and the gym teacher/football coach would time how fast he ran. Stupid. His turn was coming next. They went in groups of five, he'd be with Peters, Preston, Randall, and Stevens. Boys with nice normal names like Ted and Bryan.

Severus closed his eyes and wished that he was anywhere else but there. Maybe if he was sick he could get out of this. No, he'd tried that last year. He thought longingly of the library, reading at an out of the way desk with his peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a book. They'd just started _Call of the Wild_ and he was enjoying it.

Suddenly, with a sinking sensation in his stomach, Severus was in the library. He was in his regular uniform and his bag was with him. He blinked, confused at first. This must be what magic was. Maybe he was magic, not plain like his father. A slow smile crept over his face.

Severus carefully left the library, being sure not to draw attention to himself. He quietly walked down the halls, hoping none of the teachers would notice him. He took one of the side exits out of the school, the one that wasn't near the field. Two blocks to the right was the grown-up's library. His mother had taken him there. Severus took a seat at a table near the science section and began to read.

**9 January 1970**

Severus ran home as fast as his legs could carry him. He slammed the front door behind him and waited for his breathing and heart to slow down. He went to his room and dropped his book bag on the floor, while simultaneously taking off his coat, jacket, and tie. He flung those on his bed. Everything looked the same.

He frowned. If he was at school all day how was he going to get the letter? He went into the kitchen. Everything was normal in there too. The family owl was sleeping on its perch.

Severus's heart sank. He sat at the kitchen table with his head in his hands. Maybe he hadn't been accepted after all. Maybe he'd have to go to the idiotic school, full of simpering, pretty girls and handsome, athletic boys, sticking out like a sore thumb.

A tapping at the window interrupted his thoughts. His heart soared! It was an owl, it had to be from Hogwarts.

He opened the window and let it in. It calmly waited as Severus's shaking fingers undid the letter. He remembered to give the owl a treat and it left with a dignified hooting. Severus cracked the seal and quickly read the letter.

He jumped up and down and let out a wild "Whoop!" Wait until his mum got home.

At 5:30 he heard a key in the door. He rushed to the front entrance, clutching his letter.

Eileen entered the house, carrying several grocery bags.

"Mum, mum, I got in!" said Severus, wildly waving his letter.

Eileen shut the door and handed him one of the grocery bags. They went into the kitchen. She held out her hand for the letter without speaking and Severus handed it to her. She skimmed the letter.

"Congratulations, son," she said, leaning down and giving him a hug. "I knew you'd get in."

"Can I get new robes?"

Eileen considered.

"I suppose, this will be your first year."

She began to fix supper.

"Can we get them this week?"

"Don't be daft," she said, "You've been growing like a weed. You'd just outgrow them if we buy them now. We'll go to Diagon Alley in August."

"Can I get my wand this week?"

"Maybe. Do you have any homework?"

Severus knew this tone and stopped pressing the subject.

"Latin, algebra, and literature. I did my earth sciences work at lunch."

"Set the table, then start your homework."

Severus obediently set the table for three, then went to his room to work on his homework.

"Oh, Severus," said his mother as he left.

"Yes, mum?"

"Don't mention anything to your father. I'll tell him."

"Yes, mum."

Severus was finishing his Latin homework when he heard the door slam. He unconsciously shrank in his seat.

The jangling of keys being tossed on the table in the front hall. Two clomping sounds as his father's shoes came off near the hall closet. Heavy footsteps into the kitchen. The tinkling of ice in a glass and the sound of pouring.

"Dinner ready?"

"Fifteen minutes," said his mum.

A grunt, then footsteps to the living room and the telly being put on.

Severus finished his Latin homework. The sound of the news was painfully loud from the living room. He went to his dresser where there was a portable record player. He pulled out a milk crate from under his bed and started flipping through his record collection. It had to be something quiet enough that his father wouldn't hear and be bothered and that his mother wouldn't say was disrupting his work. He bypassed The Beatles and chose an album of Mozart sonatas.

He flew through his algebra homework, the equations coming to him easily and was finished before his mother announced supper.

Quietly, he crept to the bathroom. He washed his hands and splashed water on his face. He pulled a brush through his inky hair. He wished he could get a haircut. Finally, he rebuttoned his shirt.

"Severus, supper!" said his mother.

He entered the kitchen. His father was sitting, reading the evening edition of the newspaper. His mother was putting a roast on the table.

Tobias Snape put his paper down and appraised Severus as he sat. Seeing nothing to criticize he returned to his paper.

They ate in silence.

Finally, Severus asked if he could be excused.

"Bring your plate to the sink," said Eileen.

Severus complied and went to his room, shutting the door. He put his record back on.

They had just started _Animal Farm_ for literature class. Soon, he was absorbed in the story of Napoleon and Snowball.

"He's already queer enough, I'll not have him going to some faggotty school for fairies!" His father's voice interrupted his reading.

Severus cringed but kept reading.

"He's not queer!" replied his mother. "He's different, though. He doesn't fit in at the muggle schools, every week I'm getting calls about some fight he's been in. Hogwarts will be better for him."

"How do you propose we pay for it then, huh, Miss Know-it-all?"

"It won't cost much more than it does now."

Tobias laughed bitterly.

"Not much more," he mimicked. "I break my ass for you two and you act like money grows on trees."

"I'll pay for it," she said quietly.

"You bet you'll pay for it!"

There was a series of dull thumps from the kitchen. Severus froze in rage, his heart pounding.

_Don't get involved,_ said his common sense. But his feet were already moving.

He stopped in the doorway to the kitchen. His father was looming over his mother who was bleeding from the lip. Neither noticed him until he screamed, "Stop it!"

Both turned to face him.

"Go to your room, Severus," said Eileen, sounding very tired.

"No, no, let him play the hero," sneered his father. "You going to stop me? Go on, I'll let you have the first shot."

Severus stared at his father.

"Fucking faggot, go on, be a man."

Something snapped in Severus's mind. He swung at his father, mustering all the force he could, and hit him in the gut.

Now his father stared at him. With a roar he wound up and swung savagely at Severus, his fist connecting with his nose in an explosion of blood.

Simultaneously, every single glass in the room exploded in a shower of glass. The light bulb in the ceiling exploded and the room was left in darkness.

Tobias's eyes widened. He marched out of the room, shoved his shoes on his feet, and put on his coat. The family car started and peeled out of the driveway.

Eileen sighed. She easily repaired the light bulb and glasses. When there was light again, she examined Severus's nose. With a tap of her wand it was restored.

"You shouldn't have gotten involved," said Eileen.

"What else was I supposed to do?" he asked crossly.

"Give me your shirt. I'll get the stains out."

Severus took off his shirt.

"Now go take a shower and go straight to bed. You finished your homework?"

Severus nodded.

He went to his room, first. He searched his desk drawers for a red marker. Finally finding one, he flipped ahead in his calendar and circled "September 1." He flipped back to the current month and put a big "X" through "January 9." It would be a long couple of months.

**27 August 1970 or The First Meeting with Sirius Black**

The bell at the door tinkled as Severus and his mother entered Madam Malkin's.

"Hello," said Madam Malkin, "You're here for your Hogwarts robes?"

"Yes," said Eileen. "We'll need three sets of black first year robes."

"Very good," said Madam Malkin. "Step up here, young man."

Severus stepped onto a kind of podium. There was another boy being fitted for robes next to Severus. He was similar in height to Severus with dark hair but he appeared to be more muscular.

"Hullo," said the boy. "I'm Sirius Black," he said in a haughty voice.

"Hello," said Severus back, nervously. "I'm Severus Snape."

"Do you have a broom?" asked Sirius.

"No," Severus had to admit. He had no interested in flying. It just seemed like another sport that he would fail at.

"I have a Nimbus 1500," said Sirius. "I know first years aren't supposed to bring brooms but my dad says he might let me. Which quidditch team do you like?"

"I, uhm," Severus's mind fumbled among the few quidditch teams he knew, "I like the Chudley Cannons."

"Ugh, why would you like that team?" asked Sirius. "I like the Montrose Magpies, my dad got us tickets for Hamish MacFarlan's last game."

"Wow," said Severus. He had no clue who Hamish MacFarlan was.

"You better believe it was wow," said Sirius.

Severus fell quiet at that. He had no clue how to react to this rather volatile boy.

Their mothers were sitting on chairs, watching the fitting.

"Eileen Prince, is that you?"

"Yes, it is, Walburga Black?"

"Yes," she laughed. "I married a Black so I remain the same. That's my son, Sirius, being fitted, and this is Regulus." She indicated a sullen-looking boy eating a jelly slug. "He doesn't start Hogwarts for two years, but he wants a set of his own robes so he's being fitted after Sirius."

Eileen nodded.

"That's my son, Severus."

"They're cute together, I'm sure they'll be the best of friends."

"Which House do you think you'll be in?" asked Sirius.

"I'm not sure," said Severus. "Slytherin, I suppose, that's the House my mum was in."

"What about your dad?" asked Sirius.

"Oh, he—"

"He's dead," said Eileen. "He was in Ravenclaw."

Walburga nodded approvingly.

"I'm sure I'll be in Slytherin," said Sirius. "My whole family's been in Slytherin for ages."

"Now, Sirius, you mustn't brag," said Walburga.

By this time, Sirius's robes were done.

"Mum, I'm bored," said Sirius. "Can I go to Quality Quidditch Supplies?"

"I suppose," said Walburga. "Regulus and I will meet you there. Then we'll meet your father."

"Ok, bye mum," shouted Sirius as he bolted out of the store.

Finally, Severus's robes were done. Eileen paid and they said good-bye to Walburga and Regulus.

"It was too good seeing you, Eileen. We must keep in touch," said Walburga. "Goodbye, Severus."

"It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Black."

"Oh, he is so well-mannered," said Walburga. "Good luck at Hogwarts," she said to Severus.

"Thank you," he said, and they left.

When they were about a block away from the shop, Severus asked his mother, "Why did you tell Mrs. Black that my dad was dead?"

"Because," said Eileen, "The Blacks are a very important family. They can make your life very easy or very hard at Hogwarts. If they think you're pureblooded then your life will be easier."

Severus nodded but didn't say anything. He was beginning to think that life at Hogwarts was going to be more complicated than he thought.


End file.
